Published:
Written by Makenna Walker
Last month, I had the opportunity to represent Black Hawk College at the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) National Legislative Summit in Washington DC with Black Hawk College President Jeremy Thomas, Associate Vice President Kim Nordstrom, Board of Trustees Members Mark Carlson, Sam Gange, and Chairman Fritz Larsen. My time in D.C. allowed me to discuss issues that community colleges are facing today. I was able to make connections with almost every topic the summit was focused on, either in my life or the lives of people and other students all around me.
On Sunday, I traveled with VP Kim. Once we arrived, we went to lunch with Trustees, Carlson and Larsen. Here, we were able to get to know each other and discuss a few things about the trip. By Sunday night, we had checked in for the conference, and everyone had arrived, so we watched the Superbowl together over dinner.
Monday was the start of the conference. In the morning, we gathered for the opening session, where they discussed some of the topics we should focus on in our legislative meetings. That afternoon, I also attended the student workshop, where I learned about the importance of programs like SNAP and Pell Grants. We also did an activity to prepare us for our legislative meetings in the upcoming days. We were split into groups to brainstorm something we wanted to bring to our senator, representative, or their staff. It was great to meet my team! They were from colleges all over the country, and it was very eye-opening to see how different colleges had such different needs. The topic my group focused on was childcare on community college campuses. After all the conference events were done for the day, Kim and I headed out to see the monuments. They were absolutely gorgeous during sunset!
Tuesday was our big meeting day. I attended the morning session of the conference, and then we headed off to Representative Eric Sorenson’s office. We got to chat with him at an “open house” type of event with all the schools in his district. On our way up to his office, we got to ride in the “Members Only” elevator with him! That’s something not everyone gets to do! From there, we headed right over the Senate building where we met with Senator Dick Durbin’s staffers. I got to tell them my story and how dual-credit courses have impacted me. After a quick lunch, we went back to the Senate building for a joint meeting with Senators Tammy Duckworth and Durbin. Finally, we went out for a group dinner and found some dessert afterwards! A great way to round out the conference!
On Wednesday morning, everyone parted ways, and Kim and I went to see the White House. We were unable to get very close, and Kim had an earlier flight, so we parted ways there. I was able to go to the White House Visitors Center before I had to head back to the hotel to pick up my luggage and head to the airport. I finally arrived home Wednesday night and then headed to Kinze Manufacturing on a Planters class field trip early Thursday morning!
Overall, my experiences on the trip were nothing short of amazing. Not only was I IN the meeting room with our legislators, but I was able to share MY story and experiences, to hopefully continue to better the experiences for current and future students. I also learned just how important advocacy is. I am also extremely grateful to Black Hawk College and the Board of Trustees for allowing me to have this amazing learning experience.